2012 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14R Test Drive

The last thing Kawasaki's big-bore flagship needed was more motor, but Team Green went for broke with the 2012 Ninja ZX-14R, packing the already-imposing superbike with roughly 200 horsepower and making it the world's most powerful production motorcycle.

What’s New: The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14R defends its hyperbike status by embracing excess. The mill is up to 1.44 liters, a 0.89 liter increase (or roughly a scooter’s worth) over the outgoing ZX-14. Engine improvements include lighter and stronger pistons, a more aggressive camshaft profile, and revised intake and exhaust ports. To manage all this power, the ZX-14R comes with a two-setting power mode and three-stage traction control system that can be switched off, while a new slipper clutch promises reduced rear-wheel hop during aggressive downshifts. Change wasn’t limited to the powertrain; more than 50 percent of the ZX-14R’s aluminum frame has been modified for rigidity, while a longer (and therefore more stable) swingarm is countered with stiffer springs and lighter wheels. Finally, restyled body panels feature a cleaner look with hidden fasteners, and also improve the Kawasaki’s heat management.

Tech Tidbit: Much to the relief of moto hooligans everywhere, the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14R’s new traction control system can, in fact, be turned off. But as we discovered at the dragstrip, the electronics are smart enough to know when you’re doing a burnout. Thanks to an override in the system, vaporizing the rear tire at a standstill is perfectly permissible, which says to us that Kawasaki knows how to keep its core constituents happy.